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Marked for Death: A Rational Naruto Quest

Reader mode
Seal exam only seems like a good middle ground, tbh.

Rereading the update, it kinda feels like Mari isn't seriously engaging with the notion, though that could be her trying to move on and heal from Akane's death?

I don't have very many spoons to devote to this whole thing, but some of the other players have made some interesting points regarding the timeline over in Discord. I doubt the QMs will want to pull back the curtain and say "yes, this was just really, really bad luck. There is no conspiracy" or "spot on, there is, indeed, a conspiracy." So all that's left is to investigate it in-character... but again: spoons.

I'll vote for most any plan that has us working on Necromancy Seals. Jiraiya is a world-famous author (in a pre-industrial world! He's simply that good!) and S-ranker, whose name is whispered in lust, love, and loathing in all corners of the Elemental Nations... whereas Akane is more of a "hometown hero" with some minor fame from the last war. Akane will fade sooner than Jiraiya. Let's get her out.

You want to investigate Akane? Throw in a line about working on the Rift seals.

You want Hazou to use his Clan Head Training with Asuma to see some classified documents? Throw in a line about working on the Rift Seals.

You want to have Hazou meet with the Master Blacksmith the Goketsu have on retainer, toss him a small mountain of resources to see what happens? Throw in a line about working on the Rift Seals.

You want Hazou to negotiate with Orochimaru to give Atomu his fingers back, so that Atomu can learn MEW and ES? Throw in a line about working on the Rift Seals.

You want Hazou to seduce Sasuke and then pluck out Sasuke's eyeballs while he's asleep? Throw in a line about working on the Rift Seals.
 
After Hazō had left the Hyūga, Shino circumnavigated where he usually parted ways with his fellow Clan Head. Then he took the third alternate route which lead to the other meeting room, the one intended for urgent discussions of particular political importance, or simply for venting about the circumstances thrust upon one or both of them by a close peer.

"He isn't threatening us. How do I know this? Proof: He gave ample forewarning of the axe he could potentially hang overhead, with neither of us any the wiser. Nor in fact, is he attempting to impress by intimidation, showing his inventiveness and the harm he could possibly cause to our enemies if his ire were turned in their direction instead of our own."

Hinata was silent, the subtle shifting of her brow and the rise of her chin the only indication of her intense doubt in her teammate's words.

"You do not believe me. How do I know this? You seem to be operating under the misapprehension that Goketsu Hazō is some kind of mastermind or political operator, with double meanings and blind bluffs within his every thought and action. This could not be further from the truth. He is simply not as experienced in such matters. Although recent events have allowed him to rectify this deficiency somewhat, there is a verifiable history of his lack of education in politics or diplomatic subtleties, and when he chooses to negotiate, every clever wordplay is more likely to be a product of mimicry from those advisors he possesses who are able and willing to work around his idiosyncrasies."

Of course, Shino didn't bother to admit that it could easily be possible that this was in fact the true deception in itself, allowing Hazō to confuse and confound his clan's opponents by presenting an existential threat and doing a terrible job at wielding any of the leverage he so casually acquires and maintains even as the two speak. If they waste time worrying about obvious threats to their welfare from something that, admittedly, can't simply be ignored due to the possible repercussions inherent in the naked blade wielded, albeit clumsily, they might not see the deathblow coming from behind.

Hinata shook her head. "If he isn't threatening us, then why not maintain his leverage in secret, in case we should prove to be poor bedfellows in his so-called attempts to 'curry favor'?"

The key aspect of his relationship with the Goketsu, one that truly set Shino and the Aburame aside from the other clans with regards to matters pertaining to that Clan, was the total acceptance of Chaos Theory surrounding every interaction he held with them. That there was a set number of parameters always in flux around Hazō, and to a degree these factors could be manipulated or controlled but not stopped.

That, and the actions that seem wholly deliberate and the tools employed, ones which could easily be wielded in malice, were instead products of someone traumatized by his experiences as a Missing Nin and beforehand subject to the Mist's upbringing, clearly failing to comprehend the teen's true nature, leading to some maladaptive tendencies and placing a towering intellect on a destructive path that many, many individuals were even now in the process of controlling and diverting, to mixed results.

"Hazō wishes for everyone to get behind him, or at least out of the way, as he seeks to reshape the world around him into one more desirous and optimal for his purposes. He bears no malice for either of us. However, that does not remove the danger he presents."

Hinata nodded slowly. "We can place ourselves in a position to anticipate and know in advance what he plans, but to some degree that also places us in danger by proximity and association."

"You are wondering how we can outmaneuver one who will plow forward with wild abandon regardless of whether we decide to be his allies or his enemies. How do I know this? Simple. You held a silent conversation with an entire political bloc of the Hyūga ready to fall on their swords and remove him as a threat this very evening, even as he thoroughly complimented your admittedly quite graceful and precise hands."

Hinata's suspicious lack of denial proved his point. She also hid her face behind her cup.

Shino continued, "There are only bad options available to us at this time. Further communication seems to be key, mitigating any blowback for missteps on either of our or Hazō's part, shoring up our stock of favor and social credit with our fellow Clans and the Hokage. Since eliminating him is off of the table--" Shino acknowledged the subtle twitch from Hinata and resolved to deal with it later, preferably never--"I believe he has us over the proverbial barrel, to use a borrowed analogy."

There was some amount of shuffling as they set about drinking tea, forming a brief détente in their debate on what to do from there.

Finally, Shino resumed, "There is one heartening aspect to this predicament we find ourselves in. Despite his propensity for nigh-treasonous behavior, his usefulness has thus far outweighed the danger he presents to the Village, in even the Hokage's estimation. And to be honest, I do enjoy our conversations." He had never seen the need to actually lie to Hazō about that.

"Shino. You have never struck me as the type to spend a significant amount of time in shared leisure with anyone actually speaking."

"Failure to voice some degree of your opinion in Hazō's presence risks him making certain assumptions. Probably more than if you chose silence instead. The risk factor management involved in this relationship is something you will have to grow used to quickly, something that I believe you called upon me to rectify. How do I know this? You have been scribbling something down for the past thirty minutes furiously. I do not have a Dōjutsu capable of reading it from underneath this table, but I can easily infer its purpose."

Hinata stilled. Then resumed writing.
 
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acidshill said:
[X] Action Plan: Let's Run Those Numbers Again

Word Count: 380 words
  • Continue conversation
    • Mindset: Examine the evidence soberly. Avoid furiously rationalizing why there must be a conspiracy; but don't dismiss the idea at the slightest pushback if there are still inconsistencies you don't understand.
      • Mari/Kei/Snowflake may be trying to get you off the track, because they expect you to react badly to the truth.
      • Don't live down to these expectations. Remain collected.
    • So the enemy had up to 37.5 hours to get a team ready at Fire's northern border, but who could have pulled this off?
    • What about Waterfall, or one of the clans in Iron or Rice? Would they have the spy network, motivation to capture/kill Akane, willingness to risk war?
    • What are plausible motivations for this attack? Akane had Gōketsu seals and Shadow Clone. Could the enemy know anything more?
    • Would Rock, or another major village, have a team of this caliber loitering in Waterfall/Iron/Rice, to strike targets of opportunity?
      • They were most likely judged capable enough to capture/kill Akane with low risk of getting caught. A couple of chūnin could kill her, but how certain is that if you're assigning the mission?
      • Someone with the rank to authorize this mission on short notice must be on the team or near enough to them to send them orders after the message is received.
    • What if Rock had a team stationed on Earth's eastern border? How long would it take a messenger to reach them from Leaf, then for them to travel to Fire's northern border with Waterfall/Iron/Rice, then to rest long enough to be ready for the mission?
      • As far as Canvass could tell, they didn't make camp within Fire, and if they weren't insane they wouldn't plan on covering that much distance and getting in a fight without being sufficiently rested beforehand. Their journey to Fire's border would also be tiring.
    • We know some things about this attack, which imply a set of possible scenarios. Were those scenarios in your threat models before the attack? Were they in Asuma's or Shikamaru's threat models?
      • If these scenarios were in their threat models, then shouldn't they have just taken greater precautions in the first place, with the opsec of Akane's mission assignments?
  • Take the sealing exam
    • Prepare with Kagome (acquire tags)
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Made a few edits to reduce wordcount and remove the accusation that Asuma and Shikamaru weren't surprised enough (because based on the text, Asuma was at least a little surprised, and we don't know exactly what he's really thinking, so it seems better to ask Mari/Kei/Snowflake how surprised it would be appropriate for them to be, and draw our own conclusions without accusing them of anything right now).
 
acidshill said:
Made a few edits to reduce wordcount and remove the accusation that Asuma and Shikamaru weren't surprised enough (because based on the text, Asuma was at least a little surprised, and we don't know exactly what he's really thinking, so it seems better to ask Mari/Kei/Snowflake how surprised it would be appropriate for them to be, and draw our own conclusions without accusing them of anything right now).
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Would you incorporate some more of the sealing exam stuff? Like the appropriate gift etc.
 
FaintlySorcerous said:
Would you incorporate some more of the sealing exam stuff? Like the appropriate gift etc.
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Sure. I don't have a lot of wordcount to work with, but I can add a line about a gift. Does this look good to you?

acidshill said:
[X] Action Plan: Let's Run Those Numbers Again

Word Count: 392 words
  • Continue conversation
    • Mindset: Examine the evidence soberly. Avoid furiously rationalizing why there must be a conspiracy; but don't dismiss the idea at the slightest pushback if there are still inconsistencies you don't understand.
      • Mari/Kei/Snowflake may be trying to get you off the track, because they expect you to react badly to the truth.
      • Don't live down to these expectations. Remain collected.
    • So the enemy had up to 37.5 hours to get a team ready at Fire's northern border, but who could have pulled this off?
    • What about Waterfall, or one of the clans in Iron or Rice? Would they have the spy network, motivation to capture/kill Akane, willingness to risk war?
    • What are plausible motivations for this attack? Akane had Gōketsu seals and Shadow Clone. Rock wants revenge. What else?
    • Would Rock, or another major village, have a team of this caliber loitering in Waterfall/Iron/Rice, to strike targets of opportunity?
      • They were most likely judged capable enough to capture/kill Akane with low risk of getting caught. A couple of chūnin could kill her, but how certain is that if you're assigning the mission?
      • Someone with the rank to authorize this mission on short notice must be on the team or near enough to them to send them orders after the message is received.
    • What if Rock had a team stationed on Earth's eastern border? How long would it take a messenger to reach them from Leaf, then for them to travel to Fire's northern border with Waterfall/Iron/Rice, then to rest long enough to be ready for the mission?
      • As far as Canvass could tell, they didn't make camp within Fire, and if they weren't insane they wouldn't plan on covering that much distance and getting in a fight without being sufficiently rested beforehand. Their journey to Fire's border would also be tiring.
    • We know some things about this attack, which imply a set of possible scenarios. Were those scenarios in your threat models before the attack? Were they in Asuma's or Shikamaru's threat models?
      • If these scenarios were in their threat models, then shouldn't they have just taken greater precautions in the first place, with the opsec of Akane's mission assignments?
  • Take the sealing exam
    • Prepare with Kagome (acquire tags)
    • After exam, offer a small (Mari-approved) token of appreciation for their time.
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I am generally frustrated with the entire "continue the discussion on Akane's murder". Please forgive any insult in my attempt to voice my concerns about the currently winning Action Plan.
acidshill said:
  • Mari/Kei/Snowflake may be trying to get you off the track, because they expect you to react badly to the truth.
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This has a lot of implications regarding Hazou's conspiracy-theorizing/mental state which I am very uncomfortable with.

To say that "they expect you to react badly to the truth" implies that the "Akane's murder was supported by a Tower leak" is the truth. This is going to prime Hazou to believe that there is a leak, and cause him to internally rationalize that there is a conspiracy, even if the plan calls for him to outwardly attempt to avoid rationalizing.

I highly recommend this section to be altered to the following:
  • If there is a conspiracy, Mari/Kei/Snowflake may be trying to get you off the track because they expect you to react badly to the truth.
This supports what I believe to be the intent of this section (they are trying to keep us from going Armageddon Initiative) but without the priming effect I suspect Hazou will enter based on the wording here.
acidshill said:
We know some things about this attack, which imply a set of possible scenarios. Were those scenarios in your threat models before the attack? Were they in Asuma's or Shikamaru's threat models?
  • If these scenarios were in their threat models, then shouldn't they have just taken greater precautions in the first place, with the opsec of Akane's mission assignments?
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Again, phrasing is key. As is, I (as Mari, Kei, or Snowflake) would take grievous insult with this.

"Were those scenarios in your threat models before the attack? Were they in Asuma's or Shikamaru's threat models?" can be easily interpreted by Hazou (in his current mental state) to say "how could you (all) have not predicted that this could have happened?". Which is...it is grieving, but it is lashing out, and Hazou can't keep doing this.

"If these scenarios were in their threat models, then shouldn't they have just taken greater precautions in the first place, with the opsec of Akane's mission assignments?" can be interpreted by Hazou to say "If you'd predicted this, why didn't you do anything about it?". Same problem, but even worse as it implies that they were maliciously negligent wrt Akane's safety.

I am honestly not sure how to rephrase this to match the intent (FMPOV: Hazou is probing for evidence of a Shikamaru/Asuma-supported assassination) without being deeply treasonous or generally insulting to a number of people I value highly. My best case scenario would be to leverage Hazou's guilt and make this turn inwards, in the vein of him blaming himself for not having predicted this, and see if Kei or Snowflake behave like people who genuinely thinks that this could not have been predicted. Which is...not that great, since Mari is also here and will cover for Kei and Snowflake.

In all honesty, I do not think this section is a good idea, and highly recommend removing it.
 
[x] Action Plan: Exam Day
[X] Action Plan: Exam Day (with some more details)

I'm OK with either of these
I'm not going for the Numbers re-run, because I'm not comfortable with the lack of direction beyond saying "these numbers don't add up". Being right about the numbers discrepancy doesn't change much in terms of next steps imo. Can't say anything to Asuma/Shika if they did something wrong, nothing will change with Mari/Kei/Snowflake if they're intentionally hiding stuff for Hazou's sake.

If everyone is being straight, then assuming Hazou's right about everything, let's look at what he asks.
Could it be waterfall / iron / other groups? --> Yes, possibly. OK, now what? Not too much has changed, even with this possibility on the board.
What is the statement about Rock or major villages implying? That it wasn't realistic for them, therefore it's a Leaf inside job? If so (and if Hazou believes our thinkers haven't strongly considered it already and need this evidence), then that's fine to bring up and I assume this is the crux of what needs to be communicated with this plan. But the rest of the plan hurts the delivery of this key point.

Last part of the plan is hostile to Shika/Asuma but doesn't have any return proportional to the accusation imo.
 
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RandomX2 said:
I'm not going for the Numbers re-run, because I'm not comfortable with the lack of direction beyond saying "these numbers don't add up". Being right about the numbers discrepancy doesn't change much in terms of next steps imo. Can't say anything to Asuma/Shika if they did something wrong, nothing will change with Mari/Kei/Snowflake if they're intentionally hiding stuff for Hazou's sake.

If everyone is being straight, then assuming Hazou's right about everything, let's look at what he asks.
Could it be waterfall / iron / other groups? --> Yes, possibly. OK, now what? Not too much has changed, even with this possibility on the board.
What is the statement about Rock or major villages implying? That it wasn't realistic for them, therefore it's a Leaf inside job? If so (and if Hazou thinks that they haven't strongly considered it already and need this evidence), then that's fine to bring up and I assume this is the crux of what needs to be communicated with this plan.

Last part of the plan is hostile to Shika/Asuma but doesn't have any return proportional to the accusation imo
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Also this. This is basically how I feel about continuing the conspiracy discussion.
 
faflec said:
I highly recommend this section to be altered to the following:
  • If there is a conspiracy, Mari/Kei/Snowflake may be trying to get you off the track because they expect you to react badly to the truth.
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Sure, makes sense, made the change.

faflec said:
"Were those scenarios in your threat models before the attack? Were they in Asuma's or Shikamaru's threat models?" can be easily interpreted by Hazou (in his current mental state) to say "how could you (all) have not predicted that this could have happened?". Which is...it is grieving, but it is lashing out, and Hazou can't keep doing this.
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The intention was something more like, 'Are our enemies more capable than we expected, before the attack?' Added a sentence to clarify that. This is what that section looks like now, let me know what you think.
acidshill said:
We know some things about this attack, which imply a set of possible scenarios. Were those scenarios in your threat models before the attack? Were they in Asuma's or Shikamaru's threat models? Do the things we've learned imply our enemies are more capable than expected?
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faflec said:
"If these scenarios were in their threat models, then shouldn't they have just taken greater precautions in the first place, with the opsec of Akane's mission assignments?" can be interpreted by Hazou to say "If you'd predicted this, why didn't you do anything about it?". Same problem, but even worse as it implies that they were maliciously negligent wrt Akane's safety.
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This section seems less useful now than it did before, so I cut it out entirely.
RandomX2 said:
I'm OK with either of these
I'm not going for the Numbers re-run, because I'm not comfortable with the lack of direction beyond saying "these numbers don't add up". Being right about the numbers discrepancy doesn't change much in terms of next steps imo. Can't say anything to Asuma/Shika if they did something wrong, nothing will change with Mari/Kei/Snowflake if they're intentionally hiding stuff for Hazou's sake.
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Can't speak for other voters, but personally I just really want to be less confused about what could have happened, because I have no idea if I'm right about what things are or are not plausible, and want their opinion on some things. This information is possibly decision-relevant, and regardless unraveling mysteries like this is one of my favorite parts of the quest... so I'm going to push for it.
 
acidshill said:
Sure. I don't have a lot of wordcount to work with, but I can add a line about a gift. Does this look good to you?
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This is 298. IMO it preserves all your meaning.
  • Continue conversation
    • Internally:
      • Are you rationalizing a conspiracy's existence?
      • Try to understand inconsistencies: don't just push back.
      • Remain collected: maybe they're worried about your reactions if they share their concerns.
    • Externally: there are things that happened that you don't understand.
    • Perpetrators:
      • Who could assemble a team at Leaf's borders in 37.5 hours?
        • Do Waterfall, Iron, or Rice have the intelligence networks, motivations, and willingness to risk war?
        • The team would need to be sufficiently competent to handle an Akane-level threat and escape without a trace. At least a few chuunin, probably a jonin?
        • The team leader would need authorization to approve this sort of thing - implies a jonin?
      • Who would leave a team of that caliber on standby, just in case? If they had to be assembled and scrambled, that eats away at the 37.5 hours.
    • Motives:
      • If Akane was targeted, motives include Shadow clone, Goketsu seals? Rock revenge?
      • If she wasn't specifically targeted, what would the motivation have been?
    • Resting/exhaustion:
      • Let's say the team camped on the border.
      • Canvass didn't find a camp in Fire. If they weren't insane they wouldn't plan on covering that distance, fighting, and fleeing, all without rest - right?
      • If they weren't camped out on the border, their journey to Fire's border would also be tiring.
    • The things we know about the attack suggest some possible scenarios. Were they in your threat models before the attack? Asuma's? Shikamaru's?
      • If not…why not? What are we missing?
      • If they were, why weren't more precautions taken initially, like increased opsec around mission assignments for high-value targets?
  • Take the sealing exam
    • Prepare with Kagome (acquire tags)
    • Crush the exam, but be polite and respectful.
    • Offer a small (Mari-approved) token of appreciation for the examiner's time once they've submitted their observations.
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acidshill said:
The intention was something more like, 'Are our enemies more capable than we expected, before the attack?' Added a sentence to clarify that. This is what that section looks like now, let me know what you think.
acidshill said:
We know some things about this attack, which imply a set of possible scenarios. Were those scenarios in your threat models before the attack? Were they in Asuma's or Shikamaru's threat models? Do the things we've learned imply our enemies are more capable than expected?
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This is...better (?), but I still have my concerns about how it is worded. I would recommend, in light of the stated intent, to simply have that written instead. Like:
  • We know some things about this attack, which imply a set of possible scenarios. Are our enemies more capable than we expected, before the attack?
 
[X] [Conclave] The Crimson Sunrise

faflec said:
[X] [Conclave] The Crimson Sunrise
Word Count: ???
  • Optimize with Mari, Kei, and/or Noburi when appropriate.
  • Rats:
    • Immediately approach that nearby Rat trade rep with advisor-suggested tributes. Be polite; introduce ourselves.
    • Express moderate embarrassment over letting Condor escape. Some overt fakeness is fine, but deflect any especially politically difficult questions while everyone is still calming down.
      • Imply that further, less public conversations with Hazou MIGHT get some answers to these questions.
    • Segue into mentioning Hazou has heard of their ideology in passing, and he wants to know more.
      • Discuss Uplift and what Goketsu has accomplished so far. Ask Rats for opinions on how it could be improved.
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I think we need to at least somewhat address what just happened, the Rat is obviously going to be curious about what the fuck just happened but I think it'll be easy enough to express "we can't talk about that right now with Pangolins everywhere staring daggers at us."

faflec said:
  • Otherwise, do enough damage control to keep the Pangolins from doing something drastic in retaliation (eg kick Kei out, mass cull Condors).
    • Have Trio follow up with any Pangolin guards who were involved in the Condor incident.
      • Have Kei, in an imperious but concerned way, verify that they are not being punished for doing what they were supposed to.
        • Kei offers to bring any concerns to Pantsaa should they feel as if they're being mistreated by the Taxiarchos.
        • Hazou and Noburi spam Rapport rolls and help Kei out. Hazou is gracious they acted to protect him despite their history. He finds that very honorable.
        • Provide some sort of gift Kei deems appropriate (Earthshaped (Pre-ES50) jewels and fineries, exotic foods, spider silk capes, etc.)
    • Check in on any Pangolin merchants (and any other merchants) whose goods were damaged in the scuffle and reimburse them (also lets us show off our wealth). Hazou apologizes for accidentally provoking the Condor.
    • Determine from these talks any other relevant leaders involved in the Conclave under the Taxiarchos' authority that could be buttered up to shield the Trio a bit, especially now that he's snapping at his underlings out of anger.
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I think these are simple enough 'safe' enough things we could immediately do to win over at least a few Pangolins and make them hate us less than 100%. I don't think we're winning the Taxiarchos over at this point so we're better off robbing him of as many of his underlings as possible.

My other idea to win some favor is to use the Ben Franklin effect and ask the Pangolins at the Conclave for small favors and to compensate them for it afterwards but I don't have any specific ideas in mind so if that interests you it's an option, but if not it's fine, could use it later.

EDIT: Also, I get that most of them probably aren't going to be at the Conclave where the Pangolins want to show off 100% ideological unity, but we should really look into finding more dissenters. The Naraka rollers are the only group I can think of we've seen that are sort of outside of the military hierarchy and they're sorta a meme. Some of Kei's other summons like Panjandrum seem fairly chill, maybe they could come hang out with us, idk.
 
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Possible outcomes I expect from my plan:

(a) Mari/Kei/Snowflake convey some information (e.g. 'yes, of course Rock has a team stationed in Iron' or 'Waterfall has a world-class spy network and could have pulled this off') that convinces us that there actually wasn't anything especially weird going on (to me, at least, it's still uncertain).
(b) Mari/Kei/Snowflake, upon consideration, agree with our suspicions that there's something weird going on, and they can spell out the implications themselves and discuss with Hazōpilot appropriately. Seems kinda unlikely, but it's not as if everyone in the world except for Hazō overlooking the implications of known facts hasn't happened before.
(c) Mari/Kei/Snowflake are evasive in a way that confirms to us, the players, that something weird is going on and they don't want Hazō to overreact (to me, at least, it's still uncertain). And then we know about it and can take it into account in the future.
 
Shrooms said:
[X] [Conclave] The Crimson Sunrise


I think we need to at least somewhat address what just happened, the Rat is obviously going to be curious about what the fuck just happened but I think it'll be easy enough to express "we can't talk about that right now with Pangolins everywhere staring daggers at us."


I think these are simple enough 'safe' enough things we could immediately do to win over at least a few Pangolins and make them hate us less than 100%. I don't think we're winning the Taxiarchos over at this point so we're better off robbing him of as many of his underlings as possible.

My other idea to win some favor is to use the Ben Franklin effect and ask the Pangolins at the Conclave for small favors and to compensate them for it afterwards but I don't have any specific ideas in mind so if that interests you it's an option, but if not it's fine, could use it later.

EDIT: Also, I get that most of them probably aren't going to be at the Conclave where the Pangolins want to show off 100% ideological unity, but we should really look into finding more dissenters. The Naraka rollers are the only group I can think of we've seen that are sort of outside of the military hierarchy and they're sorta a meme. Some of Kei's other summons like Panjandrum seem fairly chill, maybe they could come hang out with us, idk.
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Done.
faflec said:
[X] [Conclave] The Crimson Sunrise
Word Count: ???
  • Optimize with Mari, Kei, and/or Noburi when appropriate.
  • Rats:
    • Immediately approach that nearby Rat trade rep with advisor-suggested tributes. Be polite; introduce ourselves.
    • Express moderate embarrassment over letting Condor escape. Some overt fakeness is fine, but deflect any especially politically difficult questions while everyone is still calming down.
      • Imply that further, less public conversations with Hazou MIGHT get some answers to these questions.
    • Segue into mentioning Hazou has heard of their ideology in passing, and he wants to know more.
      • Discuss Uplift and what Goketsu has accomplished so far. Ask Rats for opinions on how it could be improved.
  • Otherwise, do enough damage control to keep the Pangolins from doing something drastic in retaliation (eg kick Kei out, mass cull Condors).
    • Have Trio follow up with any Pangolin guards who were involved in the Condor incident.
      • Have Kei, in an imperious but concerned way, verify that they are not being punished for doing what they were supposed to.
        • Kei offers to bring any concerns to Pantsaa should they feel as if they're being mistreated by the Taxiarchos.
        • Hazou and Noburi spam Rapport rolls and help Kei out. Hazou is gracious they acted to protect him despite their history. He finds that very honorable.
        • Provide some sort of gift Kei deems appropriate (Earthshaped (Pre-ES50) jewels and fineries, exotic foods, spider silk capes, etc.)
    • Check in on any Pangolin merchants (and any other merchants) whose goods were damaged in the scuffle and reimburse them (also lets us show off our wealth). Hazou apologizes for accidentally provoking the Condor.
    • Determine from these talks any other relevant leaders involved in the Conclave under the Taxiarchos' authority that could be buttered up to shield the Trio a bit, especially now that he's snapping at his underlings out of anger.
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acidshill said:
I disagree. Willing to go into more detail if it's important to you, but this could be a delicate conversation and IMO sacrificing the clarity of the plan is not worth a few extra XP.
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Any chance you want to throw the bits that are missing back in but keep the slightly-expanded exam section?

(I will be upfront that I'm currently on the fence re: voting for your plan as it's a tie at the moment and I'm not sure I feel good about continuing the conversation, period.)
 
faflec said:
This is...better (?), but I still have my concerns about how it is worded. I would recommend, in light of the stated intent, to simply have that written instead. Like:
  • We know some things about this attack, which imply a set of possible scenarios. Are our enemies more capable than we expected, before the attack?
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Changed it to this, what do you think?
acidshill said:
Based on what we know about the attack, and what plausible scenarios could explain that evidence, are our enemies more capable than we expected, before the attack? More capable than you think Asuma/Shikamaru/Tower expected?
  • Tone: Not making accusations, trying to figure out if we were mistaken.
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I'm specifically interested in their take on what Asuma, Shikamaru, and Leaf strategic planning in general were thinking and if they got anything wrong, both in case there plausibly is a conspiracy against us, and because—when the Collapse happened, I was a little shocked, because I thought surely the Tower would know such a thing could happen, and would have a plan to defend against it, and evidently they were blindsided. So I think it's worth paying a little attention to: how could our enemies strike at us, is the Tower going to be on top of it, and what do we need to prepare for?
FaintlySorcerous said:
Any chance you want to throw the bits that are missing back in but keep the slightly-expanded exam section?
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Done!
 
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[X] Action Plan: Let's Run Those Numbers Again
[X] [Conclave] The QMs write whatever they want. We trust them.

Template for dethroning a god slow burn, subversive Conclave speeches. 🙏 credit to William S.
Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones;
So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus
Hath told you Caesar was ambitious:
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously hath Caesar answer'd it.
Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest–
For Brutus is an honourable man;
So are they all, all honourable men–
Come I to speak in Caesar's funeral.
He was my friend, faithful and just to me:
But Brutus says he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man.
He hath brought many captives home to Rome
Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill:
Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?
When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept:
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff:
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man.
You all did see that on the Lupercal
I thrice presented him a kingly crown,
Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition?
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;
And, sure, he is an honourable man.
I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke,
But here I am to speak what I do know.
You all did love him once, not without cause:
What cause withholds you then, to mourn for him?
O judgment! thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason. Bear with me;
My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,
And I must pause till it come back to me.
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1. My perception as a (former?) lurker is that the Voters have entered into a social battle with the characters Mari and Kei. This is not a winnable confrontation, based on the current plans for continuing the conversation.

2. If the Voters believe that there were Leaf conspirators involved in Akane's murder then they will not receive expository confirmation using Hazo's current methodology.

3. Moving forward, Voters who believe in a conspiracy and Voters who doubt a conspiracy have a shared interest in directing Hazo to take actions as though there were no conspiracy.

4. Insofar as Hazo Pilot's mindset has proven to be a severe liability in terms of Opsec, both Believers and Doubters have an interest in curbing Hazo Pilot's developing paranoia.
4a. (Epistemic disclosure: I am a Believer in the conspiracy, with Shikamaru as my primary suspect. No comment at present about Mari or Kei or Snowflake.)

I think the conversation needs to end and the characterization beat needs to be 'Hazo going over lists to self-soothe" instead of anything about escalating paranoia.
 
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